Surgery
The most common technique used for removing a mole is some form of surgery. There are a variety of different techniques that can be used to remove a mole. The most basic is called curettage, which involves a very sharp surgical tool called a curette. In this procedure, the mole and the surrounding tissue is first numbed (often by injecting a numbing anesthetic). Then the curette is used to remove the mole. Sometimes another instrument uses an electrical current to help stop the bleeding.
Another option, which can be used for moles for which curettage is not an option, is surgical excision. With surgical excision, a surgeon cuts into the skin, removes the mole, and then sews up the wound.
Laser Surgery
Another option for removing moles involves focusing high-intensity beams of light at a specific wavelength. Because only one wavelength of light is used, only certain tissues will absorb the light. The high intensity of the light heats up the tissues that absorbed the light and causes them to burst and vaporize. Sometimes red and green lasers can be used because they are absorbed by pigmented moles. Otherwise, carbon dioxide lasers can be used to destroy moles. Laser surgery is used to treat moles because it often produces only minimal scarring and a reduced risk of infection.
Skin Cancer
In some cases, a dermatologist may be concerned that a mole is cancerous. Large moles, or moles of an irregular shape or with different colors, may be cancerous and require a more thorough examination and removal process. First a biopsy is performed, in which a small sample of the mole is removed and looked at under a microscope to see if it is cancerous. If the mole appears cancerous, the mole and the surrounding tissue will be surgically removed. The edges of the removed tissue will also be examined under a microscope to make sure that all of the cancerous tissue has been removed.
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